BA's OpenSkies authorised to commence operations
BA's OpenSkies authorised to commence operations
A new transatlantic airline is set to hit the skies after being authorised by the US Department of Transportation (DoT). British Airways' (BA) subsidiary airline, OpenSkies, announces on its website that it has today been granted approval to begin operations.
OpenSkies will, the airline claims, be the first carrier created after the Open Skies agreement came into force to take off. The premium transatlantic airline will commence operations in June with flights between
Paris's Orly Airport and
New York's JFK Airport. Managing director of OpenSkies Dale Moss said of the decision: "We are delighted to receive approval for take-off and sincerely appreciate the DoT's efficiency and careful consideration in reviewing our application. As the first airline to be created as a result of the Open Skies agreement, this is a huge step forward as we work to make history and set a new industry standard across the Atlantic. We look forward to bringing travellers an intimate, personalised and premium travel experience between Paris and New York starting in just a few weeks."
The official authorisation by the DoT means that OpenSkies can now start selling tickets for its services and will take its first bookings next week. Passengers can buy their tickets by phone, through the airline's own website or that of BA. The new carrier aims to offer its passengers a "truly premium and intimate travel experience" and will equip its planes with "innovative features", such as 6-feet beds for those flying in business class and personal entertainment units.
OpenSkies says that it will start operations with one "proven and fuel-efficient" Boeing 757 and it is expected that a second similar aircraft will join the airline from BA's existing fleet later this year. By the end of 2009 the fledgling carrier plans to have a fleet of six aircraft in operation. Following on from the maiden route of Paris to New York, OpenSkies aims to launch new services to the US hub from other European cities, including
Amsterdam,Brussels, Frankfurt and
Milan.
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16 May 2008
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